Investigation of the relationship between 60-72 months children's motivations towards science and patterning skills

In the preschool period, where fundamental concepts and skills are acquired, interest, curiosity, and motivation towards basic science fields such as science and mathematics lead to the acquisition of related concepts and skills from an early age. The primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the motivation towards science and patterning skills of children aged 60-72 months. For this purpose, the relational research model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used to investigate the relationship between preschool children's motivation towards science and their patterning skills. In collecting the research data, the "General Information Form," "Children's Motivation Towards Science: Teacher Assessment Scale," and the "Preschool Mathematical Patterning Skills Test" were used. Multiple Regression Analysis was used to determine the level and direction of the relationship between motivation towards science and patterning skills in the analysis of data obtained from 401 preschool children included in the sample. One-way multivariate analysis of variance (one-way MANOVA) was employed to reveal the effect of gender on these skills. Additionally, the Pearson Correlation Test was applied to examine the relationship in terms of gender and parental education level. In light of the findings obtained from the data analysis, it was determined that children's motivation towards science is positively and significantly related to their mathematical patterning skills and that motivation towards science significantly predicts children's mathematical patterning skills. It was also found that there is a mostly significant moderate relationship between children's motivation towards science and their mathematical patterning skills concerning the variables of gender, mother's education level, and father's education level. Moreover, it was determined that gender does not have a significant effect on children's motivation towards science and their mathematical patterning skills.